Promise To Stay Safe
by Deximon
Summary: Piper never realized how much her older brother meant to her until she found the other side. Another side that endangers his own being. Reveal fic. One-shot! Warning: minor gore and some angst. Takes place during season 5!


With a tuck and roll, Piper dove behind the large cans of metal.

She gasped heavily, her eyes flickering all over the mingy and disgusting concrete of the alleyway, wiping away the sweat with the back of her hand. Leaning her head against the wall, the young Hart teen attempted to breath slower and in more silence as she heard Frankini's psychotic screeches echo through the buildings of Swellview.

Normally, she could've stood up the guy. Seeing his begs to Captain Man and Kid Danger as to find him and challenge him after so many defeats on the news on her precious cell phone, she could stir a little pre-mischief by starting a bicker as the hero and his right hand man show up and kick his butt as usual. After all, he might've been a little (okay, a lot) knocked up in the head, but he was a manic with a playful banter and sassy attitude with the strangest intentions.

But never before has he ever been this crazy. Crazy enough to have to creep around the city with only a slightly shaken Goomer by his side, the shiniest switchblade and kitchen knife she had ever seen in his manicured hands, his smile nearly to the point of splitting his face, and the maddest look in his eyes.

She heard that she was temper-mental, but she wasn't up to code on going again Frankini when _no one _has seen him in a condition like this! Even Goomer felt like cowering, and this man was his boss for about a long time now!

Then, footsteps were heard.

They were rushed, and they pattered and stomped on the sidewalk.

With deep breaths of what she was most likely unfamiliar with as fear, Piper strapped her backpack to her chest, cuddling herself into a ball, making herself small against the rotting stench of the garbage and the torn cardboard boxes in the alley.

_This is it, Piper._ She thought. _This is it. Death is coming, Kid Danger and Captain Man wouldn't be here to save you, and you couldn't even get internet famous once in your life._

She shut her eyes, pinching them tight, awaiting the laugh and doom. She tossed her head back lightly against the can.

"Well, let me start by saying, Frankini has officially lost it."

Wait. Piper knew that voice. That was that big lean guy Ray, the boss of Junk-N-Stuff that her loon of a brother gotten close to and works for. But she wouldn't say he works for him there. Hell, now she's starting to believe that he never works! She could never find him there, and either Jasper or Charlotte would come up with something stupid to make her believe that Henry would be so down-to-Earth.

But enough about him. What was Ray Manchester doing in a dark alleyway? He rarely saw him anywhere else besides Junk-N-Stuff, occasionally Henry's house just to flirt with their mom, much to Henry's chagrin and Piper's private gag.

Was he hiding as well? Seeking some sort of refuge? But she was sure of one thing. She doubted that Ray noticed her, due to his outlining comment about the villain.

"Yeah, dude. I could see that, probably from the, gee I don't know, _knife and blade he's carrying around Swellview_!"

Hold on another moment. She knew that voice too. That sarcastic voice with the many usages of 'dude'.

Henry.

Piper lifted her head off the side of the can, and shifted her feet under her shelled self, removing a hand from her school bag to place on the floor for weight support. She leaned her head out of the shadows and there they were. Her eighteen-year-old brother with his twenty-something year-old (or so he claims) boss Ray.

Henry had an incredulous look across his face and he sighed as he sunk into the floor and rubbed his eye sockets. "Look, this isn't like Frankini. This isn't how he was when we encountered the guy."

Encountered? These two ran into Frankini before? Must've been during all the hero-and-sidekick fights perhaps. Her cowardly brother must've tried to get guts, maybe, so he decided to risk his gosh darn life to go all in the action, that wannabe.

Ray scuffled in his pocket and a smirk displayed across his face. He scoffed, "Puh-lease. Henry, all those times captain Man and Kid Danger decided to risk life and limb to even worse psychopathic beings recall to you in a way? We fought on a train, for Pete's sake."

A train?! Are these guys be bigger idiots?

Then, Ray had pulled it. A long clear tube with a red flip cap with multiple alternating red and blue balls inside. With a flick of his thumb, the cap flew open and Ray poured a tiny ball out and popped it in his mouth, chewing hard. "C'mon! So what if Frankini has sharp objects? Why don't we go out there and show him never to play with shiny razor sharp tools like we always have?"

Piper rolled her eyes. Ray was being delusional. It was always Captain Man and his sidekick that did the butt-kicking. Where were Ray and his "worker" when this was all happening? What world was he living in? Still, the way he said it was something Piper was familiar with, but couldn't place. What was going on here?

Henry sighed again and stood up, taking an identical tube from his jeans pocket and tossing a sphere of his own in this own mouth. The girl squinted and her lip curled. What the…

At the same time, both man and teen blew a bubble, a large pink one, she remembered. And it wasn't even the size of a soccer ball when it popped and a large light fell on the two males.

Piper felt her mouth open a little and she couldn't stop staring at the light. It soon dimmed itself away and everything around her skidded to a halt.

Captain Man and Kid Danger were in their place.

Captain Man and Kid Danger.

_The _Captain Man and Kid Danger!

Holy. Crap.

Her big brother, her very own flesh and blood, was a sidekick to his boss, who was a shatterproof superhero himself.

Her hectic breathing returned again, although she felt it lodged in her throat. However, this could always be her own heart. It all made so much sense! The excuses, the working, and sudden disappearances! Henry worked for Captain Man all along! She assumed that he became a lot more shady since he was hired at Junk-N-Stuff. Was that even a real store? Was that the secret lair, the Man Cave as it was said, was where he was all this time? And what about Charlette and Jasper? All those things they said at the store when she asked for him must've been cover-ups. Right? Have they known?

Have they always known? Has her sibling and mutated being trusted them enough to keep the secret? If they had, they have been doing a good job. After all, the people have remained so oblivious.

Even herself, up to this point.

With a beating heart, stuck joints, and numbness in her veins, Piper grunted herself off the ground, looking through the alleyway to find the two gone.

**oooOOooo**

She walked home slowly, and it took her half an hour to arrive. When she opened the door, she saw her parents there, peering quite close to the TV. Too close, in fact. She could barely see their expressions.

"Hey, I'm home. What's going on?" she asked flatly, throwing her backpack in front of the stairs and walking towards them, only to slow down by a hand from her mom.

"Hang on a moment, Piper, honey. They're playing it soon," Kris replied. She faced her daughter, and now Piper could notice that her face was twisted with worry along with Jake, who saw her as well.

Piper's eyebrows scrunched together. "Playing what?"

Jake went over to her other side. "The news team is gonna lay some live footage from Captain Man and Kid Danger's fight against Frankini's lunatic self."

Piper felt her face pale. No. She didn't see him as a simple sidekick anymore. She didn't see him as a sidekick with lasers or fangirls or high fame. She's seeing him as Henry Hart, her big brother with a big heart. A boy who earned nine bucks an hour selling the junk and the stuff. Henry, who was sent to fight alongside his immature boss in a battle against that manic!

"Hey, where is Henry?"

Oh no.

Piper looked at her parents, who's eyes were wide in confusion and anxiety. What would she say? The truth? _Hey, Mom and Dad! Guess what? Our very own Kid Danger is your son! It makes total sense, by the way. And you'll never believe who Captain Man is! I'll give you one guess._

Her mouth opened and closed. No. She can't do it. Henry kept his secret for at least five years. She can't break the wall down now. And besides, even if she did, what good will it do? They're already so scared for the hero. Will confessing that their first child is in a life-or-death battle on live TV make it all better?

"Um," she started, trading her glance at each parents. "He's, uh...staying at Jasper's! Yeah. He gave me a call and told me to tell you!"

_Here I am. Covering for him!_

Kris exhaled and looked at Jake. "Good to know. But why hasn't he returned his calls or texts?"

Piper swallowed. "Uh, his phone battery died. H-He wanted to make his last call count, and since I was so close to home, he thought I was the easier choice, so he called me instead! That's it."

Kris' lips converted into a thin line, and she looked around, nodding slowly. She didn't reply, so Piper decided to confirm that she believed the stupid excuse.

"Oh, look! It's on!"

Her father's words made her stomach flip. There they were, Captain Man and Kid Danger, standing heroically in front of a worn-out yet still maniacal Frankini what appeared to be a local office building, cubicles smashed and crushed and destroyed.

Piper tilted her head. Henry looked so lean and confident in his stance and attitude as Kid Danger, much different than his Henry Hart identity. He definitely is _not _something of a coward as so many people, including herself, claim him to be.

The three exchange banters and all three Harts gasped when Frankini took out not the tiny switchblade, but the long and large kitchen knife, shiny to the hilt. Piper rubbed her palms together and felt like crying when she saw their faces. Captain Man (or Ray, rather) seemed more or less himself, but still very taken aback by the change in atmosphere.

Henry, however, looked pretty scared.

And Kid Danger rarely looked scared.

Piper blinked. God, what did he step into all this time? All this-

But it all came too fast.

No one saw it all in one pace.

No one seemed to notice Goomer creeping up and grabbing Captain Man and strangling and throwing him away. No one culd process the way Frankini kicked the younger hero and swiftly made his way to choke-hold the boy.

But everything froze again, for the second time today, when she saw the kitchen knife make its way to his stomach. The cry of agony coming from his mouth as Frankini, with the smile showing how he was enjoying every bit, took the blade out and inserting it some other place only two inches away from the first wound and doing it for the third time to his side, ignoring the sudden and timid words from Goomer and the loud and desperate pleas from the Captain.

Nobody could possibly miss it. They couldn't possibly miss the blood seeping from his scars and staining his uniform, the way drops splattered the floor as Frankini yanked out the weapon, only seeming to make it bigger and bleed harder. The way Kid Danger _screamed _and choke and cough as the dark red liquid poured and spilled, overflowing in his jaw.

The screen begun to blur.

"Honey? A-Are you alright?"

Piper shrugged away her mother's words and ran off, taking the steps two at a time and going into her room with a slam, grabbing her bag with her. She slid down to the ground, sinking to the floor, knees in her chest again, making a ball. And she wouldn't admit it to anyone else that she didn't bother to hold back those salty droplets rolling down her cheeks and marking her jeans.

**oooOOooo**

Piper never left her room for the rest of that night.

She stopped crying when her phone chimed with another news flash. She had a little debate with herself on whether or not she should watch the aftermath of the fight. Curiosity and major stress overtook the feeling though, so she tapped the notification and watched with a trembling finger.

Her eyes damped once more as she saw Captain Man's anger-blemished face, holding a bloody and unconscious Kid Danger in his arms. She put a hand to her mouth to stifle her uncontrolled sobs as the paramedics attempted and failed to take the body. Captain Man had to claim it many times himself to them and the cops that he already had help enlisted and at the ready and that his trusty sidekick was going to survive and she witnessed in short-lived pride as the skeptical police instead took away a severely beaten Frankini, still chuckling like a mad man.

She turned off her phone and crawled into the bed, not bothering to take her clothes off. She could've swore that Ray said those things to them so that Henry's identity wouldn't be revealed. But that hadn't remained in her head for long.

All her thought were stuck on Henry, his screams echoing in the cages of her mind, her grabbing her hair to make it all stop!

But they all stayed, and she listened to them screech as she cried off to sleep.

**oooOOooo**

A little creak at the door woke her up.

With a flinch and rapid blinking, Piper staggered out of bed, dirty blonde hair flowing around her shoulders messy and her eyes bloodshot and stained in makeup and tears. _What could possibly be coming into our house at this hour? _She mentally grumbled, trying to push away the haunting memories of last night's news to the back of her head.

With one hand rubbing sleep away and another hand trailed along the railing Piper opened her mouth to talk it off to the figure quietly closing the door. It stayed open, however.

Henry.

There he was, his eyes wide and his mouth agape in surprise like a fish. "Oh, hey, Piper! Uh, good morning to you."

_Oh my God._

He was okay. Just last night he took three large stab wounds to the stomach, chest, and side, fallen into a deep life-threatening sleep in Ray's arms, and caused many viewers at home a heart attack, including his baby sister. But here he was.

Absolutely okay.

Piper tuned out of Henry's constant stammering for an excuse as she walked smoothly down the steps, mouth still open. And under a short amount of time, she was close to him.

Real close, to the point her body was leaning on his, chests touching. Her arms trailed away around his neck, holding his body warmth close to her own, sniffing his scent, praying that this scent so alike was truly his and not a dream she was stuck in and she would wake up to find him dead and she could never experience this again.

She was hugging him. It was something they each haven't done since they were very young. Now, when the two would get along, they would have a brief cuddle, but it only lasted just a second. But this…

She wasn't going to let this get away from her, in case it was never real. If it wasn't she was going to soak the fantasy in.

Piper felt two strong arms wrap themselves slowly and unsurely around her back, like saying that this was new and almost unfamiliar. She tightened the grip and so did he. Both Hart siblings held the hug, cherishing the moment.

It killed Piper inside to let go, her arms leaving Henry. She saw his face: star-struck, bewildered, and completely flustered. "Wh-What was that about, sis?", he questioned, his voice deep and quiet.

This felt real. Her brother was here. He wasn't fading and he isn't dead. He was okay.

She felt a small smile creep on her face. Not the evil smile used to expose Jasper, nor the sadistic smile used when someone was being an idiot. This smile felt genuine to her. "Just...happy that you're here, Hen."

Henry was dazed by the statement and he flashed a smile to her. "Uh. Thanks. I guess…", he stumbled as he made his way to the stairs.

"Wait."

She took his by the wrist, her grip holding the limb and squeezing it firm. Henry raised a brow at her. "What? What is it, Piper?", he wondered aloud. Piper felt the words choke her throat.

_C'mon, Piper. Tell him._

Her mouth opened.

_Tell him that you know his secret. Both secrets!_

Henry's face was expectant and she said nothing yet.

_Tell him that he is not a coward, but a good guy who helps everyone._

Her hold on his wrist tightened.

_Tell him that he means a lot to you, both as a superhero and a big brother._

"Just…stay safe out there. Promise me. _Promise_ me, Hen!"

Henry nodded, his face still bewildered. Piper let his wrist go and with a confused yet comforting smile her way, he climbed up the stairs, rubbing his light red wrist.

Becoming the soldier's wife, Piper watched as her big sidekick brother go on with his normal routine and disappear into his room before it was time to return to work all over again.

**oooOOooo**

**God. It's almost 2:00am!**

**I got into Henry Danger and I must say, I love this show! I wanted to do a one-shot on it revolving Piper discovering Henry's secret. For some reason, I like the sibling banter between the two, and I want a reveal fic of how she finds out! Let me know what you think while I go get some sleep. I am so tired!**

**Good night everyone! ;)**

**-Deximon**


End file.
